(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a sliding member for a fixing device, a fixing device, and an image forming apparatus.
(ii) Related Art
In image forming apparatuses, such as a copy machine and a printer using an electrophotographic method, unfixed toner images formed on a recording sheet are fixed to the recording sheet by a fixing device so that an image is formed.
Fixing devices, which are called belt-nip type fixing devices and have a structure that includes a heating roll and a pressure belt disposed so as to come into contact with the heating roll or a structure that includes a heating belt and a pressure roll disposed so as to come into contact with the heating belt, are known as the fixing device.
In these fixing devices, a belt is disposed so as to be pressed against a roll from the inner surface by a pressing member and a sliding member is interposed between the belt and the pressing member in order to reduce sliding resistance that is generated by the rotation of the belt.